Sea Bass Limits Rolling and Stripers at Peak as June Opens at Sandy Hook
Water temperature has ticked up to 59°F per NOAA buoy 44065, and early June conditions around Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook are delivering on multiple fronts. Sea bass are the headline catch: Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands reports consistent limits all week, with 17-inch fish over sand eel teasers and Gulp jigs the hot combination, and one tough Thursday aside, the bite has been building steadily. Blue Chip Sportfishing calls the sea bass bite 'red hot,' reporting limits on nearly every trip. Per The Fisherman — Northern NJ, the Big Mohawk III maxed out on sea bass across all recent trips and Miss Belmar Princess logged solid sea bass and ling counts following last weekend's blow. Striped bass remain strong — Blue Chip describes it as the best striper fishing possible, and the Tackle Box in Hazlet, per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf, reports bass at the Sandy Hook Rip on plugs and bunker chunks. Gator bluefish are pushing inlet areas. Fluke remain slow as water temperatures lag, though bayside Sandy Hook anglers are picking up scattered fish on Gulp jigheads.
Current Conditions
- Water temp
- 59°F
- Moon
- Waning Gibbous
- Tide / flow
- Moving tidal transitions on rip lines and inlet channel edges most productive; no wave height data available from buoy 44065.
- Weather
- Light winds around 7 mph with mild air temps near 63°F; check local forecast before heading out.
New to these readings? What do water temp, cfs, tide, and moon phase actually mean for fishing?
What's Biting
Striped Bass
plugs and bunker chunks at Sandy Hook Rip, salted clams in surf
Sea Bass
17s with tails, Gulp sand eel teasers, slow-pitch jigs on wrecks
Bluefish
chunks and surface plugs on current edges near inlets
Fluke
Gulp-tipped jigheads and killies in Sandy Hook bayside shallows
What's Next
With winds light at 3 m/s and water sitting at 59°F, conditions heading into the first full week of June look favorable for continued sea bass and striper action around Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook.
Sea bass should stay productive through the near term. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands has been running daily 7:30–2:30 trips with consistent results, and per The Fisherman — Northern NJ, multiple party boats including Ol' Salty II, Skylarker, and Miss Belmar Princess are reporting solid numbers that improved as last week wore on. Tidal transitions — Capt Ron's specifically noted action at the change of tide — are worth timing trips around. As water temperatures continue creeping toward the low 60s, knucklehead counts should hold steady on nearshore wrecks and reefs.
The striper window is worth prioritizing right now. OTW Saltwater's June 2 migration report notes big bass feeding heavily on bunker from Long Island Sound northward, and Fishermans HQ LBI's June 1 report flags that 'historically speaking we see a large body of striped bass the first and second week of June' — framing the current moment as a prime quality window before summer heat pushes the run north. Dawn and dusk tides at the Sandy Hook Rip, using plugs and bunker chunks per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf, are the setup to have rigged. Salted clams are also drawing strikes along the open surf.
Bluefish — gator class — are showing sporadically around inlet areas per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf. That bite could intensify as warmer water moves in; chunking and surface plugs on current edges are the standard approach.
Fluke remain the patience game. Water in the upper 50s has suppressed the bite, but per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf, the Tackle Box in Hazlet reports fluke nipping at Gulp-tipped jigheads and killies in Sandy Hook's bayside shallows. Watch for improvement as temps cross 60°F; drifting channel edges and backwater structure with white Gulp on light jigheads is the setup to have ready.
Also worth watching: The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf noted first reports of spot, croaker, and kingfish arriving at the Port Monmouth, Belford, and Keansburg piers — early summer species that signal the season is turning. As these fish establish, mixed-bag pier and bay fishing should diversify the options beyond the spring striper-and-seabass focus.
Context
For Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook, the first days of June typically mark the tail end of the spring striper run and the heart of the sea bass season. Water at 59°F is running a touch cool for early June — the region normally approaches 62–65°F by this date — likely a lingering effect of the unsettled, windy weather that disrupted the Memorial Day holiday weekend. That cold-water lag is the most direct explanation for fluke action remaining suppressed; flatfish typically begin reliable backwater fishing in this area once temps settle above 60°F, and we're just short of that threshold.
The sea bass fishery is tracking roughly on schedule. The Fisherman — Northern NJ notes that the bite 'got better as the week wore on' across multiple headboats, a pattern consistent with improving post-opener numbers as fish settle onto structure. Captain Rich Falcone of the Golden Eagle acknowledged the bite 'wasn't as good as last spring's fishing' but was the best of the 2026 spring — suggesting 2025 set a high benchmark while 2026 is normalizing.
The striper picture has been healthy overall this spring. OTW Northern New Jersey's May 28 report documented a rebound after mid-May Raritan Bay slowdowns, with bluefish and bass both 'on the beaches in numbers.' The June 2 OTW Saltwater migration summary confirms big fish are still working the region, fueled by a heavy bunker and squid forage base. Fishermans HQ LBI's framing of the first two weeks of June as historically the best shot at quality stripers matches the current reports closely.
If there is a notable departure from typical patterns, it is the early appearance of sheepshead and black drum in the surf, mentioned by The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf sources — species that typically peak later in the summer along this stretch. Otherwise, the season is broadly on schedule: cold-dragged fluke, excellent sea bass, and a striper run in its final quality window.
This report is synthesized by Hooked Fisherman from real-time NOAA buoy data, USGS stream gauges, and current reports across regional fishing blogs, captain updates, and angler forums. Source names are cited inline where they appear. Check local regulations before keeping fish. Never trust a single source for a trip decision.